Core 3:   Roots of Western Civilizations                                                            Fall  2012

Instructor:  Dr. Ilicia Sprey                                                            SJC Office:  Core 258
Office Hours: 

SJC: TR 8-8:30am, 12:30-2:30pm and by appointment

STE: TR 4pm to 5pm and after 9pm as needed in the Auditorium

Office Phone 219-866-6387                                      E-mail: ilicias@saintjoe.edu            

Homepage:  http://www.saintjoe.edu/~ilicias/

Course Description:   Core 3 is the beginning of our investigation into where we, as participants in the Western cultural experience, came from.  Our predecessors in this experience were the first to ask and attempt to answer the big questions thoughtful people still ask today.  These include:  Why is mankind here?  What is the nature of each individual’s relationship with the physical world around them?  With their community? With others as individuals? With their deity or deities?  What is the meaning or purpose of being on this planet as a living sentient person?  These are all big and not easily answered questions and the answers found will be unique to each individual and may change over time or be ones that you re-consider and alter or change depending on where you are in life.  The point of Core 3 is to introduce you to some great works by major thinkers and authors who have dealt with these and other significant points of intellectual, philosophical, and spiritual inquiry.  In this Core we hope you will take the skills you developed in your first year of the Core Program and begin to build a broader and deeper sense of the historical, mental, and spiritual development of those who, like you, were a product of Western Civilization, as well as being contributors to it.  We will focus on four groups this semester:  the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, ending the term with the birth of Christianity.  We will be respectful in our exploration of their experiences and contributions, examine the ways in which they interacted with others and their world, and see the contributions of their worldview to ours.   

            Remember, Core curriculum is designed to provide you with exposure to a solid Liberal Arts education and encourages you to investigate your relationship with and role in the larger world, and this investigation into how those living in the past dealt with these issues is a vital step in that process.  In order to make this segment of Core worthwhile, you must approach Core 3 with an open mind and not with preconceived notions of what are the ultimate “right” answers to the questions listed above based solely on your experience of the world to date or those supplied to you by the institutions present in your life.  A willingness to constantly question and re-examine issues and answers is a sign of being a mature human being.  If you arrive back at the same answers you began with, but based on thoughtful observation then they will be more your own, and if you arrive at different answers than those you began with, then you are growing into a more thoughtful human being as you move through your life.  Either result from Core 3 will make you a more active and participating member of the world you have inherited from previous generations.  This process will also provide you with the opportunity to put into use both the intellectual and communication skills you have developed thus far in your education.  In addition to offering you the opportunity to examine and develop your own concepts concerning your relationships to and with others in society, we will be working on important communication skills, both written and oral, that will help you be successful in your college career, but more importantly, in the real world at whatever job(s) you hold in the future and in personal relationships, as well.  Because of this, there is a significant amount of reading and writing this term and Core 3 will be worth 6 credits.

Required Reading:  The books can be found listed in the master syllabus for Core 3 and online at http://www.saintjoe.edu/academics/core/syllabi.html .

Class meetings:  We meet twice a week in the Auditorium for lecture and discussion.  You are expected to attend lectures, listen carefully, take notes, and participate thoughtfully in the discussions. Come prepared with the readings that will be discussed in lecture completed and ready to take notes participate in discussion.

What you can expect from me:  You can expect that I:

• will be available during office hours and by appointment
• will be prepared for our sections and on time
• will clearly state the criteria on which your work will be evaluated
• will be interested in helping you improve as students and becoming more analytical thinkers
• will explain any changes to course content made during the semester

What I expect from you:  The following explain what I expect of you in terms of work and behavior.

Attendance:  It is important that students attend class on a regular basis in order to fully participate in discussions and lectures and to get the most out of the course.  Roll will be taken throughout the semester.  If you are unable to attend class due to a health issue or emergency and need to reach me leave a leave a message on either my e-mail or voice mail if I am out of the office.  Failure to come to class will affect your grade.

3-5 unexcused absences will result in your final class grade dropping by one letter grade.  6-8 unexcused absences will result in it dropping two letter grades.  9 unexcused absences or more and you will receive an F for the course.

In our section meetings we will be discussing the lectures and reading materials.  We will explore and evaluate the different perspectives of the authors we are reading, as well as ways of interpreting the texts and ideas presented in them in our present day circumstances and see how they relate and may be of value to us today. You must keep up with the reading in order to contribute to the discussion and everyone’s contributions to the discussion are valuable and necessary in order to make the section a success. and to complete all the assignments.  Discussion grade is based on quantity but more importantly quality of answers and the nature of the contribution you make to discussion section.

Appropriate classroom behavior is required and expected of all students.

Assignments:  Reading assignments are in the Master Core 3 syllabus and the date for that exams will take place and papers are due are in this syllabus.

Any assignments not handed in on time will have 5 points deducted for each weekday they are late, not for each class session.  For example, a paper due on Monday but handed in on Wednesday will have 10 points deducted from the original grade it would have received otherwise.   All papers are to be typed or produced on a computer.

Students who decide to drop this course ARE RESPONSIBLE for obtaining the correct forms prior to the College's announced deadline for withdrawing from classes.

Academic Honesty:  Neither cheating nor plagiarism will be tolerated in this or any other class.  The purpose of this course is to have you do your best work not to submit someone else's efforts, therefore anyone found cheating or plagiarizing the work of another will receive an automatic F for the course and the case will be referred to the appropriate academic officer in accordance with the College’s policy (see College Catalog).

Evaluation:

Attendance and Participation in Discussion:  The  quantity and quality of your contribution in discussion in section will be worth 15% of your grade.

Papers and Exams:  There are 3 papers assigned in Core 3 as well as three exams and a final in this course.  The tests will be primarily essay format and will cover lecture and reading materials and anything else we go over in our section.  Make-up exams will be offered only in cases of documented hospitalization or sever illness or family emergency or some similar issue as outlined in the Academic Catalog.  If these conditions are met, the make-up must be taken within three calendar days of when it was originally scheduled.

Quizzes:  Over the course of the semester there will be pop quizzes on lecture and readings.  If you do the assigned reading in a thoughtful manner, pay attention in lecture, and come to discussion, taking good notes along the way, you should have no problem with these quizzes.  Missed quizzes or those you miss due to being late to class cannot be made up.

Students with special needs:  If you have special needs in relation to taking notes, exams, etc. , you need to contact me within the first two weeks of class, inform me of the problem, and speak to the proper personnel in Student Services.  Between us we will decide what is the appropriate way to best meet your needs to help you get the maximum out of the class without detriment to your fellow students.

Grading:  Core 3 is a 6-credit course and your grade will be calculated as follows.